One Moment of Their Long, Long Lives
by Punzie the Platypus
Summary: New Year's Eve, 2017. Jughead, Betty, Archie, and Veronica attend four parties in one night, ranging from the Southside to Cheryl Blossom's pool house to the Lodges', before gathering at the bonfire burning high in Town Square. They consider what they want to leave behind in 2017 before welcoming 2018 in together. Bughead, Varchie.


_**Soli Deo gloria**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Riverdale.**

 **So I'm going to do a lot more novel writing in 2018, but I also love my fanfiction characters and can't leave them well enough alone for long :P**

2017 was going out with a bang. Not with literal explosions and fireworks (though several firecrackers could be heard in the high school parking lot and Cheryl kept yelling, "BOOM!" at her pool house) but with a huge, crackling bonfire.

Archie and Veronica, Jughead and Betty found themselves settled there after a long, _long_ night of trekking across the entire town. It reminded Jughead of the Christmas Truce in early World War I. For one single day, the Southside and the Northside laid aside their differences and intermingled, shaking hands and walking across each other's war-torn turfs to celebrate a common denominator shared not only between them, but between the whole world: New Year's Eve.

It could've been a usual night of war. It could've been a time for the Southside to sneak up on the celebrating Northside and _really_ make 2017 go out with a bang. It could've been a time for the Northside to make a couple of New Year's resolutions early and create an encroaching, purging line upon the dark Southside. But it wasn't.

It wasn't brought about by a peaceful meeting between Mayor McCoy and FP Jones. It was brought about by there being too many parties and all the high school kids being done with all of this territorial crap. The Southside high school was throwing a party in the school gym and the Northside high school was throwing a party and heck, even Cheryl Blossom was throwing a glittering New Year's Eve party (her mother sealed her lips at the expense, even as she sneered at the gold glitter that littered the place)—and everyone wanted to go to each party. No parental protests could sway anyone—it was a partying night, ringing in the New Year.

So obviously, the Lodges decided the best course of action was to throw their own party. It provided an opportunity to show that they three were a united front (and it provided a nice party for Veronica, where they could keep an eye on things—their daughter, her friends, and all boys invited alike).

"You're going to all four parties?" FP asked Jughead, pouring himself a glass of orange juice on the last morning of 2017. "I thought you didn't like parties."

"I don't like my _birthday_ , Dad," Jughead corrected him. "All the attention's on me then. The ante for disappointment is definitely raised. But four Riverdale New Year's Eve parties in one night, ending in a huge, symbolical bonfire in the middle of Town Square?" Jughead's eyes shone. "The cup of social observation overfloweth tonight."

"So you're just going to these parties to watch people?" FP questioned. That was typical of Jughead—pre-Betty, at least.

"Nah. I'm going with Betty. And Archie and Veronica," Jughead said.

FP shrugged. "Okay. Think you can find a time on your itinerary for a stop at the White Wyrm?"

"I'll make a stop in before I pick up Betty," Jughead said.

"You aren't bringing her?" FP said conversationally.

Jughead didn't meet his eyes. "I don't think that would be a good idea." He remembered the parking lot argument he and Betty shared after his dad's retirement party. She wanted to be a Serpent—and Jughead couldn't bear the thought. If he could keep her far, far away from the White Wyrm, he'd do it at all costs.

FP had the tact to make no further comments. He said, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder, "Be home at a semi-reasonable hour, okay?"

"Why? Will my glass slippers disappear at the stroke of midnight?" Jughead joked.

"No. But I'll sleep easier knowing you made it home. People use New Year's Eve as an excuse to go wild. Going wild can result in people getting hurt," FP said. It was a rare moment of serious paternal concern; when the moment came on him, Jughead listened intently to every word.

It was funny, FP being worried about Jughead's safety just one day out of many, many dangerous days portrayed as normal days; but Jughead didn't laugh. He didn't get mad that his father wasn't this worried about him walking around Riverdale _every_ day. He clapped his hand over his dad's and said, "I'll text you when I get home. I'm not too much of a party animal, anyway."

FP smiled, an old, old smile. "Yeah, I know." He gave Jughead's head a good ruffle, causing his beanie hat to shift, his black curls peeking out at odd corners. Jughead smiled to himself as he adjusted his hat back.

They all needed a day to shift aside side contestations and just enjoy the celebratory atmosphere. Jughead sighed wistfully as Betty Cooper came out of her house that twilight-lit evening; her bouncy blonde ponytail hopped against her pink coat and white scarf. Her white hands were lost in black leather gloves and his hands in a second. "Hey, Jug," she said.

"Hey, Betty," Jughead said.

There was no need for any more words as she looped her elbow through his arm and leaned against him. He breathed out a dragon's breath of relief as they headed through the crisp, still winter air to the Southside high school party.

It was a snooze-fest, since it was a forced PG party and nobody wanted to participate, choosing rather the route of sitting on the gym seats and judging everyone out on the floor. "Is it always like this?" Betty wondered.

"No. Take away the actual fun of partying and this is what you're left with: a bunch of high schoolers leaning against the back wall," Jughead said.

Jughead kind of figured an attempt at a normal high school party by the Southside was going to fail epically, which is why he didn't bank too much of the evening's fun on _that_ side; he instead put more value on the Northside's high school bash; this, while under the watchful eye of Mayor McCoy, was still more fun. Dance music blared and glitter shone and there was laughter and balloons; they met Archie and Veronica there.

Jughead took in Veronica's little black dress and high heels and said, "Since when did you start raiding your mother's wardrobe?"

"Well, as you know, next-next stop on our itinerary is my parents'," Veronica said, a tiny bit tight-lipped. "There'll be a few important business people invited, and, well, we Lodges _must_ keep up appearances," she said.

"I'm guessing that a few business deals ride on this evening's success, then," Jughead concluded.

"You'd be corrected. And we're all in this together, this family in this family business," Veronica said. "Of course, count on my parents to make a New Year's Eve party into a business opportunity. Still," she said, brightening with that characteristic Veronica Lodge flare, "it should be a fun evening either way."

The Northside high school party was fun, yes, but underwhelming, even when all of the Southside joined them. The music stopped for a second, everybody stared at them, and then they started partying. The Southside joined in as much as they could, but they weren't as well-versed in _having fun_ and _letting loose_ as these regular high schoolers were.

Still, all the people in the know knew that it was the _after_ -party where the party was, and the after-party was being held at Cheryl Blossom's mom's pool house. _Here_ was the party. No expense was spared; every tradition and party favor was indulged in. Cheryl reigned as the queen and center of attention. Money had no meaning to her. Her mother's eyes shot daggers at her, and Cheryl deflected them with her bright armor. She dazzled and danced and held so much attention. She reveled in it; it would only last the evening, a moment in her long life, and she swore she'd enjoy it for every second she had it.

Jughead got all the party he could want from Cheryl's. He leaned in to Archie and said, "I'm actually looking forward to going to the Lodges'."

"Well, you'd be the only one," Archie said. "I'll only going because Ronnie expects it of me—and apparently, her parents want to see me there."

"That's not weird or pressuring or anything," Jughead said casually, sarcastically.

"Yeah," Archie said, sighing. He caught Betty's eye just past Jughead's shoulder. He gave her a little smile, hesitant.

She gave him a quick flash of a smile; she dropped it in half a second, looking at Jughead, then back at Archie. Her message was clear.

Archie dropped his eyes.

The four-full convey made their way past the partying high schoolers to the door; Cheryl seamlessly appeared as an obstacle in their path. "Leaving so early? But the fun's just beginning!"

"Yeah, well, we have another party to get to," Veronica said, "so if you could let us leave, I'd appreciate it."

"What party? No party matters tonight except the Blossom New Year's Eve party!" Cheryl said, rising a crystal glass.

"Except my parents' does. To me, anyway." Veronica gave Cheryl a quick smile. "Enjoy your party, Cheryl. Happy New Year." The four exited, the latter three giving Cheryl awkward nods of 'bye'.

Cheryl watched them leave; nothing deflated her more than people she actually wanted to care about her leaving early; she knocked back the rest of her drink and screwed up her face. The scowl disappeared, being replaced by a stolid layer of armor. "Whatever. Bully for them. I don't care. I don't need _them_ to have the best party of the year." She turned back to her faithful subjects with her brightest, red-lipstick smile; she kept repeating that to herself as she now had to pretend to have the time of her life.

They entered the Lodge party at 9:20 PM and left at 9:36 PM. All four, breathless, stepped outside the Pembrooke apartments. Veronica was the first to find her voice. "Historically speaking, I live and breathe parties. I _love_ them. _That_ party," here pointing a finger to the floor where she and her parents lived, "was the worst party I've ever been to."

"Did anyone else find it hard to breathe in there?" Jughead wondered.

"Well, it's hard to breathe when the air's polluted by expensive cologne and the toxic fumes of money, lies and deceit, and snobbery," Veronica huffed. She looked at her friends, bristled, and said, "Let's go to the bonfire."

"And, what? Sit there for two hours?" Jughead said.

"Yeah. Isn't there somewhere else we can wait it out? It's like ten degrees out." Archie looked like a lumberjack in his thick winter clothes, and yet _he_ was still cold.

"We've already been to three parties," Veronica said. "Showing up at a party you've already ditched for lack of better options is a no-no."

"Well, it's obvious where we should go," Betty said. All eyes on her. "Pop's," she said, like, _come on. Duh, you guys._

This was readily agreed upon by her friends and within twenty minutes, a brisk, hurried walk brought them to their favorite booth at Pop's. Ever since the Black Hood was found out and dead, Pop's had received much more traffic. Riverdale sighed a deep sigh of relief and congregated into the pink-lit diner. It was past ten at night, yet Pop's was doing a roaring business.

Riverdale decided to act like nothing bad had happened and everything was back to normal (just like they had after they discovered Jason Blossom's murderer—old habits died hard; it made Betty shake her head); Alice Cooper was this Riverdale. She may have heaved a heavy sigh when Betty brought up that she was spending New Year's Eve out on the town with her boyfriend and friends, but she didn't lecture Betty about going out late in the dark. The Black Hood was gone and while she disliked Jughead, Archie, and Veronica immensely, she knew that four was better than one. Logic and math won out against irrational paranoia.

It was a beautiful moment, harkening back to old times when no feuds, no family ties, and no relationship troubles troubled these four. They all sat in a booth at Pop's with burgers, fries, and milkshakes. It was an innocent moment, isolated, protected from all other troubles brought on them by themselves or forced upon them by others. They laughed at jokes and smiled and were content in this one moment of their long, long lives.

They escaped just in time; Jughead glanced at his cellphone, said, "It's almost eleven-thirty," and they were out the door in two minutes. Betty shrieked with laughter as they ran down the cold streets, avoiding the grey sludge of snow, to the bonfire in the Town Square. Splinter-riddled logs were tied together in a tepee shape so it was self-supporting. Its flame grew high and high; its light brought people from miles around to Riverdale's Town Square. People spread out picnic blankets on the dead grass in their winter coats and let the beautiful flames dance in their eyes as they watched.

The four found an unclaimed bench; Jughead sat against one end, Betty's head against his shoulder. Archie sat against the other end, Veronica leaning against him. She squeezed his hand, even though she didn't wear a smile on her face.

It wasn't an official gathering. There was no speech by Major McCoy about the significance of 2017 and how 2018 would bring a new year for Riverdale, full of unity and peace and stuff. It was just a bunch of citizens gathered on cold picnic blankets and park benches and sitting on the fountain's rim, watching these beautiful bonfire. Regular citizens and Serpents alike. For once, for one day, nobody blinked an eye.

"Is it New Year's resolutions time?" Betty said, breaking the silence the four held where all they could hear was the soft and comforting sound of pops and crackles from the bonfire.

"Please, no," Jughead said. "If I had my laptop, _then_ I could make a comprehensive list. I can't think of any off the top of my head. I would need to write them down."

"How about what we're leaving behind in 2017?" Veronica volunteered, turning her head from Archie's broad shoulder.

"Okay. What are you going to leave behind in 2017, Vee?" Betty wondered.

"Time-consuming eyebrow trends, gluten, and getting involved in dangerous escapades involving life and death, just off the top of my head," Veronica said lightly. She turned to Archie. "What are you leaving behind in 2017, Archiekins?"

The bonfire reflected in Archie's eyes. "My deep-seated hatred of the Black Hood." He met Ronnie's eyes. "I think that'd be a good thing to leave behind in 2017."

"I think that is an _excellent_ thing to leave behind," Veronica whispered in a tender voice.

Archie gazed her at, silently, for a moment before pulling himself out of his trance and saying loudly, "Jughead, what about you? What do you want to leave behind in 2017?"

Jughead thought of a many great things. Dissension between the North and the South sides of Riverdale—personal conflict within himself about being a Serpent while also trying to keep his dad and Betty from going too far—he settled with the light-hearted, "The habit of leaving my laptop unplugged for too long. The moment I need to use it, it has no battery."

Betty looked up at him, upside down. "Really? _That's_ what you're leaving behind in 2017?"

"It's a perfectly valid . . . thing," Jughead said. Betty's smile looked like a frown, upside down. "What about you, Betty?" His voice lost its levity, gained that slow, soft caress his voice carried when speaking to Betty. "What are you leaving behind?"

She thought a moment, her eyes looking past him before coming back to rest on him as she said, "My fear. Fear will not rule my 2018."

Jughead smiled. His hand absentmindedly came to tuck a blonde strand of hair away from her eyes and rest along her jawline. "Perfect."

2018 slipped in quietly just as 2017 went out with a bang. A countdown to midnight rang through the square and all of Riverdale except for these four shouted out, "Three, two, one—HAPPY NEW YEAR!" They were too busy gazing into their lover's eyes to throw their hats in the air and blow on noisemakers. Jughead and Betty kissed with their hands holding; Veronica looked deep into Archie's eyes; his lips spoke a word without any voice, and she kissed him, knowing exactly what he said.

The fire blazed high long into the night as Veronica closed her eyes and leaned her head against Archie's strong shoulder. Betty stared at the fire while Jughead couldn't keep his eyes from staring at her, reposing in quiet and peace. It wasn't a pose Betty Cooper was often in, and he liked to see it when he could.

The fire rose high while all four occupied themselves in their minds, lost in their own thoughts. They thought ahead to the future, what it would hold for them, the town, Riverdale, and themselves personally. What changes would be brought about in their schools, their friends, their families, and their futures.

They were all together on that bench yet all thinking their own thoughts—yet, thoughts full of each other, as much as of themselves. One thing was sure for these four, though:

They were all in 2018, leaving 2017 far, far behind, where it belonged.

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**


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